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Monday, February 9

Lisa Aldin - One of the Guys

Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a lady while the guys move on without her.

Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date. Word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service.

But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends--the same guy who happens to be the most sought-after date. With everything she's built on the line, Toni has to decide if she wants to save the business and her old life, or let go of being one of the guys for a chance at love.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

One of the Guys was exactly the book I've signed up for. It was a cute romance with adorable characters who really grew by the end of the novel. I was afraid of drama but there was close to none in this book! I mean some of the conflicts were dragged through the whole novel, but not in a bad way. I actually liked that the author showed us that in real life people carry hurt and anger in themselves even though they do know it's unfair toward the other.The romance was really really, sweet. It was slowly built because both Toni and Loch needed time to accept that their feelings changed towards each other and they needed time to work out their issues. I liked where the author ended the novel, it was nice to finally read a book that didn't complicated too hard the happy end. I loved the friendship of the guys and Toni. I felt like they really did know everything about each other, even though by the time the novel took place not everything was alright between them. Toni's new friend Emma was an awesome addition to the cast. She was extremely sweet and showed Toni that there's nothing wrong (or too hard) with being a girlie girl. At first glance Toni Valentine seems to be one of those girls who thinks she's above every other female because she doesn't waste her time on girlie things. But guys, please give her a chance, a real one, because she's so much more than this. Yes, Toni feels awkward when she has to act girlie and do makes fun of the 'girlie girls' once or twice but under all the sass she's just like any other teenage girl: self-conscious. She doubts herself all the time, and she doesn't think that she can ever be anything like the Winston girls. Not because she's so much better but because she doesn't think that she can ever grow up to be a woman. She had many childish moments but she developed a lot by the end of the novel and became a fierce heroine. Loch/Micah officially became one of my favorite contemporary romance book boyfriends. I love when an author doesn't tell us a thousand times how hot and crushworthy the hero is. I want to make up my own mind by his personality not by his looks, damn. Loch was incredibly supportive of Toni and I adored how he tried to be good friends with Toni, Ollie and Cowboy, even when Ollie was mad at Toni. Honestly, he was the cutest. I adored Cowboy, he's definitely one of the most adorable characters of all time. Ollie had his issues but I'm glad he was able to work them out by the end of the novel. I really liked that Toni's family was included in the story too, I feel like it's really unrealistic when YA books leave out the parents nearly all through the novel. Her mom was a great person, and it was nice to see her step dad trying so hard to make Toni accept her. I always love a greatly written stepparent relationship. A bit negativity was that sometimes I felt like the author tried way too hard to make Toni look like a tomboy. I don't think that pointing out how rude she was made anyone see her more of a tomboy. I was quite disappointed when I encountered with some really disgusting scenes. One of the Guys is recommended to every contemporary romance fans, tomboy or not. :)Favorite character: ALLLeast favorite: I can't remember the name, but she was the meanest girl. You know who I mean. The story idea: 4/5The realization of the story: 4/5The characters: 5/5The cover: 3/5Enjoy factor: 4/5